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SUMMARY LIVING WITH LEAD- Kids in Missouri are sick; they have high levels of lead. The EPA, residents and government officials
disagree on the most effective way to deal with the polluting aftermath of the state's mining industry and the lead smelter in Herculaneum, Missouri.
TRAPPED INDOORS- After begging his mother to let him come outside to play, four year-old Aaron Warden accepts his indoor fate. "I am angry---real angry," said Robyn Warden, a resident of Herculaneum, home of the nation's largest lead production company- Doe Run.
"It's nice outside. My kids should be outside playing, not sequestered inside," said Warden. When Warden's children lead levels rose, state environmental officials told Warden to shut the windows, turn on the air conditioning and not let her youngest children outside to play.
June blood tests revealed that Aaron Warden's blood contained 20 micro grams per deciliter of lead, twice the amount considered the threshold for lead poisoning. High levels of lead may contribute to lowered IQ, shortened attention span, and learning disabilities.